I want to be like Mike! 10 years ago, when Michael Jordan was at the top of his game, every kid would go around saying, “I want to be like Mike!” Well, until recently, I too had a role model, but it wasn't Mike, it was my older sister, Tina.  
　

Contest Chair, honorable judges, TMs and friends:

Why was Tina my role model? Well, to tell you the answer, let me tell you the DIFFERENCE between Tina and I when we were little.

Tina was always CLEAN. She NEVER played on the playground because she didn't want to get dirty. I was always DIRTY. My hair is always messy. I get holes in my socks. I even get holes in my shoes. Tina was always SMILING.. She looked so cute, people were always giving her free gifts.

I was always CRYING. I looked so horrible, people were always giving me money, because they thought I was a beggar. Tina was always helpful. When mom came home from work, Tina helped out with the laundry.

I was always helpless. When dad took me to the bank, I broke a NT25,000 glass vase. Everywhere Tina went, people were always SHAKING her hands. “Good job, Tina!”.

Everywhere I went, people were always SHAKING their heads. “Why can't you be more like Tina?”
　

Well, after many years of hearing that and realizing that no one liked me, I finally decided “I want to be like Tina!” 

When Tina got into National Taiwan University, I said,” I want to be like Tina!” When Tina became the captain of the NTU's softball team, I said,” I want to be like Tina!” And every time Tina won a speech contest, I said,” I want to be like Tina!” 
　

I became Tina's shadow. Everywhere she went, I went, too. Everything she did, I did, too. Her interests became my interests. If she liked stamp collection, so did I. If she liked softball, so did I. If she liked giving speeches, so did I.

I practically made myself into a second Tina.  
　

Yet deep inside, I knew something wasn't right.  
　

Two years ago, Tina and I took part in the national evaluation contest. Tina won first place. My mom was so happy. I won nothing. My mom was so quiet. And it hurt. It hurt to feel that I had disappointed my mom, again.

I hated that feeling, and I went home telling Tina, “I hate Toastmasters.
　

I don't want to be part of it anymore!”  
　

That's when Tina said…

You know, you don't always have to be like me and do what I do. Toastmaster is my passion, but maybe it's not yours. Perhaps you need to find your own passion.  
　

Oh, that was harsh, because my passion was to be like her.

And it hurt to realize that I couldn't be like her. 

But at the same time, I felt that the pain of NOT being myself was even greater.
　

I realized that I have been spending my life trying so hard to be someone else but me. And in the process, I have forgotten who I was…I had lost my voice.

I had lost my voice to the society. I had allowed the society to decide who I should be. 
　

All of a sudden, I felt like a little “i”. How many of you have ever used a computer before? Have you ever used Microsoft Word? Have you noticed that every time you type a little i and press space bar, the computer automatically changes this little i into a big I? Well, I feel like the little i, and the computer is the society, always forcing me to be a big I, always forcing be to be someone else but me.  
　

But on the day of the evaluation contest, I realized I didn't want to spend the rest of my life living by other people's standards. I want to be me. I want to be a little i, with my own mind and body.
　

I began a journey of rediscovering myself and finding my voice, once more. 
　

I rediscovered my passion in research, so I spent my summer at a pharmacology research lab. I rediscovered my passion in dancing, so I took tap dancing classes. I rediscovered my passion in talking … so I stuck with Toastmasters. 
　

Four months ago, I was preparing for an interview for graduate school.
　

I was so nervous. I kept asking myself, “What if they don't like me?”
　

But on the day of the interview, I didn't care if they didn't like me.
　

I have come to realize that being myself is so important that…
　

I would rather be rejected for being myself than to be accepted for being someone I'm not. And I guess my attitude was right, because I got accepted. 
　

Hey, I may be small and short, like the little “i".

But, just like the little “i", “i" have my own mind and body.
　

And I stand here today, because I want to give a speech…just like Tina?
　

NO WAY!
　

But because I want to give a speech, just to be me.
　

And most importantly, to be a true “i".